30 PINK AND SCARLET 



everything else connected with the horse and the 

 stable. 



It has been said that the poor young Prince 

 Imperial might have escaped but for the breaking 

 of a strap on his saddle. He caught hold of it in 

 his efforts to get on to his moving horse, it was 

 " shoddy," and broke in his hand ! The rest is 

 only too well known. We hope that our young 

 soldier may never be placed in the same dreadful 

 predicament ; let him, however, beware ; moreover, 

 the hunting-field will find out the " shoddy " like 

 active service does, and he will look very foolish 

 if, after duly holding on to his reins through the 

 catherine-wheel-like turns which end in a " buster," 

 he loses his horse through the breaking of leather 

 or buckle. 



To begin with the saddle, it should be plain 

 flapped, and of a fair size. It is a great mistake to 

 use a small saddle for hunting just because it is 

 light, it does not distribute the weight so well as a 

 bigger one, and is therefore far more likely to give 

 a sore back. For hacking this does not apply so 

 much, because the weight is not, as a rule, on the 

 horse for so long at a time. The saddle should be 

 leather lined, or be used with a leather numnah cut 

 to fit it exactly. No other form of numnah is good. 



Bridle — must suit the horse, therefore the exact 

 sort cannot be named, but as most horses go in the 

 conventional double bridle, we will take that as an 

 example. It must be made of good leather. This 

 means going to a good firm and giving a fair price. 



